Angel Wishes
by Red Hardy
Summary: The Hardy family receives potentially devastating news a few days before Christmas.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** No mystery, no evil bad guys, no death-bed vigils; just a sappy little Christmas story I wrote a few years ago! :-)

**Angel Wishes**

**Chapter 1**

Laura Hardy glanced at her watch and sighed, tapping her foot impatiently. With only a week to go before Christmas she didn't have time to wait in some doctor's office until he decided to grace her with his presence. She'd already had her annual exam and was now waiting for the obligatory meeting with the doctor where he asked if she had any questions, she replied no and was on her way. Checking her watch again, she almost wanted to leave him a note – _'No questions. Gotta run! Have a nice holiday!'_ – and then chuckled to herself. There was no question that her younger son, Joe, got his impatience from her; although he had taken it to a whole new level!

Sighing again, she pulled out her well-worn Christmas list. She only had two more things to buy for the family the Hardys had 'adopted' this year and she'd be done with her shopping. But there _was_ that sweater she'd seen in the mall that was the exact same shade of blue as Joe's eyes…

Smiling, she grabbed a pen and added it to the list, along with a new computer program Frank had mentioned the previous evening at dinner. Her husband, Fenton, would say she was spoiling the boys but she decided if ever they needed spoiling it was now.

Frank had started his freshman year at Bayport University in September at the same time Joe, a year younger, began his senior year at Bayport High. Frank had decided he wanted to live on campus. At nineteen, he was ready to test his independence and excited to be living away from home for the first time – even if it was only thirty minutes away!

Laura was thrilled for Frank, recalling how much she had enjoyed living in the dorms when she was in college. It was an exciting time for a young adult and she wanted her son to experience everything college had to offer in a way that simply couldn't be done living off campus. Yet while she was happy for Frank to be embarking on the next phase in his life, she was also worried about Joe; a worry that turned out to be justified.

Growing up, her sons had been exceptionally close. They had a special bond that was hard to describe and while Laura had been grateful for their closeness, she also feared what would happen when it came time for Frank to move on. It was obvious to anyone that Frank doted on his younger brother and had a strong protective instinct towards him. As a child Joe had worshipped his older brother. As they got older Joe realized, of course, that his brother wasn't perfect; but he was still Joe's protector, confidant and best friend.

When Frank announced he wanted to live on campus, Joe tried to be excited for his brother, but Laura didn't miss the sadness in his eyes. It took a few weeks but Joe finally accepted Frank's decision and was genuinely happy for his brother – for a while. After a long talk with his mother, Joe realized he'd be so busy with school, studying and football, having been named team captain at the beginning of the school year, he'd barely have time to miss his brother. Assuming Frank would pop in at least once during the week for a home cooked meal and that he'd be seeing his brother on weekends, Joe was much more comfortable with the whole situation.

However, he hadn't counted on Frank getting so caught up in the whole college experience. Frank had pledged a fraternity, joined several clubs and volunteered to tutor fellow students who had quickly fallen behind under the heavy class loads. Frank also wanted to spend time with his girlfriend, Callie Shaw, who had chosen to go to New York University, an hour away from Bayport. Suddenly Frank's weekends seemed to be booked solid, leaving no time for his younger brother.

As the weeks passed, the strain seemed to be eating away at the close relationship the brothers shared, finally coming to a head in late October. Frank and Joe had gotten into a huge fight that Laura almost feared would end in physical violence. But heeding her husband's advice to let the boys work it out themselves, she remained silent, hard as it was. And sure enough, an hour later, her sons emerged from Joe's bedroom all smiles. Whatever issues they'd had were resolved and she swore they were now closer than ever. After the stress and tension of those few months, Laura had no qualms at all about spoiling her sons this holiday season.

Checking her watch yet again, she decided enough was enough. Both boys had started their winter break a few days earlier and she was thrilled to have both of them home again. Right now, spending quality family time with her husband and sons was infinitely more appealing than cooling her heels in a doctor's office. Standing up, she turned to leave just as the door to the office opened.

"I'm so sorry to keep you waiting, Mrs. Hardy," Dr. Tanninger said, closing the door behind him. "I wanted to check something before I spoke with you." He took a seat behind his desk as she returned to the chair she had just vacated.

She smiled thinly and leaned forward. "You know I really don't have any questions and I'm really pressed for time so-"

"I'm sorry Mrs. Hardy. I understand what a busy time of year this is. But I have a question for you."

Laura's eyebrows shot up in mild surprise and she settled back into the chair.

"Do you perform monthly breast self-exams?"

Laura hesitated a moment at the unexpected query. "Yes. Well, usually. I mean I try to remember but sometimes time gets away from me," she laughed nervously. "My oldest son started college this year and my youngest is a senior in high school so…" she shrugged sheepishly. "I guess I haven't been as vigilant as I should've."

"I see."

Laura shifted in the seat, suddenly anxious. "Is… is there something wrong?"

"Mrs. Hardy, during the exam today I found a lump in your left breast. I was hoping you'd been doing monthly self-exams so I'd have an idea of how long it's been there and if it's gotten any bigger."

Laura stared at the doctor, stunned. "A… a lump?" she repeated hoarsely.

"When was the last time you did a self-exam?" Dr. Tanninger asked as Laura had made it obvious it hadn't been any time recently.

"Um… I… I'm not quite sure. Last summer some time, maybe?" she answered her voice shaking slightly. "Doctor… does this mean… do I have… _breast cancer_?"

"No, not necessarily. Not all lumps are cancerous," Tanninger said reassuringly. "It could be just a fluid-filled cyst or calcification."

Laura stared at him, suddenly wishing she weren't alone. Terrified, she'd give anything to have her husband beside her, his strong arm around her, telling her everything would be fine.

"The first step is to get you scheduled for a mammogram," the doctor continued. "I was checking with my scheduling secretary before I came in to see you. There was a cancellation for tomorrow morning. Would you be able to have it done then?"

"Tomorrow?" Laura repeated, dazed. _'Callie and Vanessa are coming over tomorrow. We're supposed to bake cookies…'_ she thought, picturing her sons' girlfriends. "I guess… yes, tomorrow would be fine."

"Good, good," Tanninger murmured distractedly, writing something on a prescription pad. "I'd like to find out for sure what we're dealing with before the holidays if at all possible." He looked up and smiled. "No sense having you worrying if it's nothing."

Laura gave him a strained smile in return. _'A lump in my breast? A mammogram? What if it __isn't__ nothing?'_

"But a mammogram by itself can't tell you whether or not it's cancer… can it?"

"No, I'm afraid not. But it can tell us size and shape, placement… in short, whether the lump is suspicious or not. Based on the results of the mammogram, we'll determine what the next course of action is."

"How many different courses of action are there?" Laura asked, her thoughts jerking back and forth, forcing her to listen yet trying to deny the reality.

'_I don't have time for this! A lump? It's almost Christmas! No, he probably made a mistake… That sweater really did match Joe's eyes beautifully…It might not be cancer… I should stop and pick up some more sugar and flour on the way home…Why didn't I remember to do those breast exams every month?! The Rileys' Christmas party is this weekend… Oh, God, Fenton, I wish you were here…'_

"If the lump doesn't appear to be anything more than a cyst, we can just watch it. You'd have to be extremely vigilant about monthly self-exams. I'd want to see you every month or so, until we know whether or not it's growing and if so, how fast."

"And what if it is 'suspicious in nature'?" Laura almost laughed out loud, suddenly having a vision of a small lump with a head, arms and legs, running from her private detective husband and their sons who aspired to be just like him. _'I wonder if I'm in shock…'_

"If the mammogram suggests the lump is suspicious in nature, the next step would be to do a biopsy; either a needle biopsy or surgically, by removing the lump itself and a little of the surrounding tissue."

"And that would tell you whether it's cancer or not?"

"Yes, that would tell us if it's malignant."

"And if it is?" Laura asked. Was that _her_ voice shaking like that?

Dr. Tanninger smiled and closed her file. "I'd prefer to at least wait for the results of the mammogram before deciding what – if any – treatment you'll need."

"If you think it could be nothing, why are you so insistent I have a mammogram tomorrow? If it's nothing, why can't it wait until after the holidays are over?" Laura suddenly morphed from disbelief straight into denial. _'This is ridiculous…there is nothing wrong with me…It's just a harmless cyst. He said so…maybe…'_

"As I said, there was a cancellation for tomorrow and I thought if there was a possibility we could get this cleared up before the holidays, you could relax and enjoy them. That's really the only reason," he replied patiently.

"Oh," Laura replied, a little embarrassed. "Sorry, it's just…well, this is the last thing I expected to hear. It's a little disconcerting, that's all."

"I understand completely, Mrs. Hardy. And that is exactly why I'd like to get it cleared up as soon as we can – to give you some peace of mind." Standing up, he escorted Laura to the door of his office. Handing her the piece of paper he'd been writing on he pointed down the hall to their left. "Carol, at the reception desk will get everything set up for you. I'll call you as soon as I have the results. Should only be a day or so."

"Thank you," Laura said numbly, walking in the direction he'd indicated.

Laura's head began to swim. Three words echoed in her head with stunning clarity – _lump…biopsy…malignant_… When she left the house this morning her most pressing concern was whether or not she had enough sugar and flour for tomorrow's cookie bake. Now instead of trying to figure out how to keep Joe from eating all the cookie dough she was staring at the possibility of breast cancer.


	2. Chapter 2

No1butjoe: Yup, I agree. There's no good time to get news like that but the holidays make it seem especially worse.

Iola: Thank you so much! I do try to get inside the characters heads and make them as real as possible.

Helen: Thank you! I did a lot of research for this story as I wanted it to be as believable as possible. (And I'm SO SORRY I've gotten so behind on reading and reviewing your wonderful story! I don't allow myself to read a chapter unless I have ample time to comment. But I WILL get caught up! I promise!)

Penguincrazy: Thanks for reviewing. Hope it lives up to your expectations. :-)

MissMe113: ROTFL!!! Your reviews always make me laugh out loud!! :D Thank you!

Josie: You're a chicken!! :p

Cheryl: Uh… I think you've read it before. But maybe not. It's a few years old. Coulda been posted when you went off to get married and have babies and get yourself a real life! :p

Miss Fenway: It was Laura's turn… ;-) And really, I only pick on characters if I truly love them. So the only characters who are really safe in my stories are the ones I don't like. I just pretend they don't exist. :p

Pandora: HI! Welcome back! I totally understand – there are stories I just can't read because of the subject matter. Glad you're enjoying this one though! :-)

Thank you to everyone who is reading! :-)

**Angel Wishes**

**Chapter 2**

Arriving home, Laura Hardy sat in her car, still reeling from the news. The shock and disbelief she'd initially felt had been replaced by fear – raw fear. Dr. Tanninger and his staff had gone out of their way to make sure she understood that finding a lump did not automatically signal cancer. But what if it did? How would she tell Fenton? How would she tell her sons? And how would they react? Laura found herself caught between wanting desperately to be in the arms of her family and not wanting to burden them with this kind of news so close to the holidays.

She took a few minutes to collect her thoughts, trying to figure out how you dropped this kind of news on someone you loved. She'd already decided to tell Fenton first, privately, knowing she'd never be able to tell their sons without his support. She still wasn't even sure she _wanted_ to tell them just yet. What if the mammogram showed it was nothing more than a cyst? Why put them through the roller coaster of emotions she'd been on for the last hour if there was no reason to? Besides, she was worried – and scared – enough for all of them! With a shaky resolve, she got out of the car and walked through the front door. Immediately she heard footsteps thundering down the stairs. Looking up she saw Joe taking the last few steps in one jump.

"Hey, Mom, where've you been? I'm starved!" he exclaimed, his blue eyes sparkling. Leaning down he gave her a quick peck on the cheek, at the same time helping her off with her coat.

"Where is your father?" Laura asked as Joe hung her coat and scarf in the closet.

"In his office. We made…"

Whatever else Joe said was lost as Laura walked towards her husband's office. Knocking on the door she waited a few seconds and then opened it, poking her head inside. "Hi," she said softly. Pushing the door open, she walked inside and closed it behind her, oblivious to Joe who was still standing by the front door, staring at her open-mouthed and confused.

Fenton got up from his desk and came around to envelop Laura in a tight embrace. "Where've you been, honey? I was starting to worry. You said you'd be home around four."

"I know, but something…unexpected…came up."

"At the doctor's?" he asked, immediately concerned. "I thought it was just an annual check up?"

"That's what it was supposed to be," she replied softly.

Suddenly Laura felt as if she were in some strange time warp. When she'd left the house that morning she'd been obsessed with everything she had to do that day – finish up her Christmas shopping, stop at the supermarket to pick up the last few things she needed for tomorrow's baking, pick up the dry cleaning…was that really just this morning? It felt like that had been years earlier. Now the only thing she was obsessed with was three words – lump… biopsy… malignant. Taking Fenton's hand she sat down on the couch, pulling him to a seat next to her.

"Honey…what is it? Is something wrong?" Fenton stared at her, clutching her hand tightly in his.

"Dr. Tanninger found a lump…in my breast."

Fenton gasped sharply, his face suddenly pale.

"It's probably nothing," Laura continued quickly, amazed at how calm she sounded. "He's scheduled me for a mammogram first thing tomorrow morning. He'll be able to tell from that whether it's serious enough to warrant more testing." Seeing the devastation on her husband's face, she reached out and stroked his cheek. "It could be nothing more than a harmless cyst."

"If…if that's so, why did he schedule the mammogram so quickly? That sounds like he thinks it's more serious than he's telling you," Fenton replied.

"Boy, you're suspicious of everybody," Laura smiled, quirking an eyebrow. "Even my gynecologist has ulterior motives," she joked, even though she'd had the exact same thoughts only a short time earlier. "They had a cancellation for tomorrow morning. And he thought we'd like to know for sure, one way or another, before the holidays, so if there really is nothing to worry about, we could relax and enjoy them."

Fenton was silent for a moment, finally nodding although he didn't look entirely convinced. "I suppose that makes sense."

After all these years together Laura knew exactly what her husband was thinking. He was scared. Scared for her, scared for him…scared for their sons. She sighed and stared into his deep brown eyes. "I think I'd rather wait until after the results of the mammogram before I tell the boys. I mean, if it's really nothing, there's no sense in worrying them for no reason."

Fenton nodded in agreement. "How soon after the mammogram will they have the results?"

"Dr. Tanninger said he should be able to tell me something in a day or so."

Fenton was quiet for several minutes. As the words sank in and he realized just what his wife was facing, he pulled her close, held her tightly and stroked her hair. "I love you, Laura," he rasped, his voice breaking.

oooOOOooo

"Did I hear Mom?" Frank asked, coming up behind his brother.

"Yeah," Joe replied distractedly, staring at the closed door of Fenton's office. "But she was acting…I don't know – _weird_!"

"Weird how?"

"She barely said a word to me. And when I was talking to her she just walked away! Went into Dad's office and shut the door." He turned and frowned at his brother.

"Did you hear any yelling?"

"Nope, none. Been totally quiet. _Too_ quiet if you ask me."

"Well," Frank shrugged, "if they want us to know what they're talking about they'll tell us. In the meantime, let's go set the table for dinner."

"So whaddya think's going on in there?" Joe asked, dogging Frank's footsteps.

"I don't think anything is going on."

"But Mom completely ignored me! It's like I wasn't even there!" Joe griped getting the plates out of the cabinet.

Frank grinned at his younger brother. "I hate to break it to you, Joe, but you're _not_ the center of the universe."

Joe picked up a handy dishtowel and threw it at Frank. "I'm the center of Vanessa's universe," he shot back smugly.

"Then she needs to move to a new solar system." Frank dodged another towel as he hurried to the dining room and began setting out the silverware.

A short time later, Fenton and Laura emerged from his office just as the boys were setting dinner on the table. Once they were all settled and had begun to eat the meal Frank and Joe had prepared, Laura cleared her throat.

"Boys, something came up tomorrow morning that I need to take care of, but I should be back by nine-thirty or ten," she said.

"What is it?" Joe asked bluntly.

"Just something unexpected," Laura replied, glancing at her husband. "So if you and the girls can get everything ready, we can start baking as soon as I get back."

"Sure, no problem, Mom," Frank said quickly, throwing his brother a warning look.

Joe obviously wasn't happy about being brushed off, but Frank got the sense their mother wanted to keep whatever it was to herself. _'It's a week before Christmas. Lots of secrets are kept this time of year,'_ he told himself, trying to shake off the uneasy feeling that had suddenly descended upon him.

However, as the meal wore on, Frank became acutely aware that his parents were trying a little to hard to act 'normal'. By the time dessert was finished, Frank had come to the conclusion that Joe's feeling their mother was acting 'weird' might actually have some merit.


	3. Chapter 3

Hugs and thank you's to Miss Fenway, DesertVixen, MissMe113, Pandora, No1butjoe and Helen for your kind reviews. :-)

**Angel Wishes**

**Chapter 3**

"_Oh, she's beautiful!" Margaret Gibbons exclaimed, staring at the blonde, blue-eyed baby in Vanessa's arms. Fenton Hardy's elderly neighbor had been sitting on her front porch, enjoying the warm spring evening, when Joe and Vanessa pulled into the Hardys' driveway. Seeing the young couple emerge from the car with their infant daughter, she had hurried over to them, eager to see the latest addition to the Hardy family. _

"_What's her name?" she asked, automatically reaching out to touch the baby's hand. The tiny bundle smiled, cooed and immediately wrapped her small hand around Margaret's finger._

"_Her name is Laura Lindsay Hardy," Vanessa replied softly._

_Margaret looked up to see a world of pain in Joe's eyes and her heart broke for him. The young man, who was the spitting image of his late mother, obviously still grieved for her. Laura's sudden death from breast cancer a few years earlier had hit him hard, and while Fenton and Frank seemed to accept and deal with it, she wondered if Joe would ever get over losing his mother so early in life. _

'_How could he,' she thought, 'when it's a constant reminder every time he looks in the mirror.'_

_Margaret reached out and squeezed Joe's hand tightly. Seeing his eyes begin to water only made her heart ache for him more. "Your mother would be honored," she said softly._

Laura woke with a start, clutching the blanket around her. She could still clearly see the devastation on Joe's face, the tears in his eyes…and the granddaughter she never met who bore her name.

"Laura? Are you all right?" Fenton asked, his voice suspiciously coherent for someone who should have just been rudely awakened in the middle of the night.

Rolling over, Laura saw her husband in the dim light from the window and knew he hadn't been asleep. Snuggling close to him, Laura reveled in the feeling of safety as his arms wrapped around her. "Mmm-hmm," she murmured. "Just a bad dream, I guess. Can't even remember what it was…"

'_I do not have breast cancer. I do not have breast cancer. I do not have breast cancer.' _ Closing her eyes, Laura repeated the mantra over and over. She pictured the beautiful baby girl she had seen in her dream, only this time Laura Lindsay Hardy was in the arms of her delighted grandmother. With the image seared into her mind's eye, Laura drifted back to sleep with a smile on her face.

oooOOOooo

Laura stood in the kitchen, listening to her sons and their girlfriends talking, laughing, teasing and thoroughly enjoying each other's company. She had gotten up early before the boys were awake, and gone to her appointment to avoid any awkward questions from them. The technician had told her Dr. Tanninger put a rush on the results and she should be hearing from him that night or early the next morning, which she assumed was supposed to calm her fraying nerves. It didn't seem to be working.

Despite the warmth from the heat of the oven, she still felt chilled. Ever since she'd awakened that morning, she couldn't get the dream - the image of Joe's face - out of her mind. Grief stricken, he'd seemed on the verge of tears simply at the mention of her name. And the baby - the granddaughter who bore her name - she'd had Joe's electric blue eyes, a head full of white-blonde curls and a smile that could melt even the coldest heart.

Shaking off the haunting emotions, Laura looked up and did a double take, her eyes misting over. Vanessa was holding a wooden spoon covered with cookie dough, giggling, while Joe licked it off. The two teenagers then engaged in a somewhat lengthy kiss.

'_Did I ever thank Vanessa? She's the one who gave Joe a reason to start living again. Does she even know what she did?'_

"Oh, puhleeze!" Frank's voice cut into her thoughts. "It's too early in the day for that!"

Joe looked at his brother and raised his eyebrows, smiling wickedly. "It's never too early for that!" he replied, leaning over to kiss Vanessa again.

Laura felt a lump rise in her throat. How many more Christmases would she have with her sons? Were there only a limited number left, or would she someday be standing in this very same kitchen making cookies with her grandchildren?

"Mom?"

Laura looked up to see Frank, Joe and the girls staring at her warily.

"I'm sorry, honey, what did you say?"

"I need another cookie sheet," Frank repeated, the look on his face somewhere between bewildered and worried.

Laura reached behind her and grabbed one of the cookie sheets drying on the rack. Feeling four pair of eyes on her, Laura knew the teens sensed something wasn't quite right; she obviously hadn't been hiding her anxiety as well as she'd hoped. Turning back to the teens, she plastered a smile on her face.

"Here you go," she offered Frank the cookie sheet, then looked at Callie and Vanessa. "I'm so glad you're here," she said warmly. "Callie, other than when you were home for Thanksgiving, I haven't seen you since the summer."

"As much as I love school and living in the city, I do miss Bayport and everyone here," Callie confessed. "Even you," she winked at Joe. "And I really missed your decorating party this year, Mrs. Hardy."

Every year at Christmas, Laura and Fenton hosted a Christmas tree decorating party, mostly as an excuse for the boys to invite all their friends over for an afternoon of holiday fun. They all pitched in to decorate the huge tree in the living room and either hung out at the Hardys' the rest of the night or went out ice skating, sledding or Christmas caroling – which ever activity garnered the most votes.

"We missed you, too," Laura replied.

"Some more than others," Joe grinned, nudging his brother.

"We _all_ missed you, Callie," Vanessa said poking her boyfriend in the side. "You know I forgot to tell you, Mrs. Hardy, I love the angel on the top of your tree. It's so beautiful!"

"Thank you, Vanessa," Laura beamed. "That angel is a Hardy family tradition. Gertrude and Fenton's parents put it on their tree every year. They passed it down to Gertrude…" Laura stopped, a fond, faraway look in her eyes. "Gertrude gave it to Fenton and I the first Christmas we were married," she said softly.

"It's the miracle angel," Joe added, somewhat reverently.

Vanessa stared at him for a moment, then shrugged good-naturedly. "Okay, I'll bite, why is it the miracle angel?"

"Because whenever you make a wish on it, miraculously, that wish comes true."

Vanessa looked at him skeptically for a moment. Hearing Frank snicker, she decided she was being had. "Okay, Frank, what's the real story behind the miracle angel."

"When we were kids, Aunt Gertrude told us it was a special angel. That if we made a wish and asked the angel to grant it, that wish would come true," Frank started to explain.

"And it works! Every time I've wished on that angel, it's come true!" Joe announced.

"Yeah, because you always wished for some present you'd put on your list to Santa! Mom and Dad got us pretty much everything on our lists, so your wishes were guaranteed to come true!" Frank teased, as the girls and Laura laughed.

"Well, yeah, you got me on that one," Joe joined in with a grin. "But it really _is_ a miracle angel," he continued, his light-hearted tone having turned serious. "Remember that year you told us Dad wouldn't be home for Christmas?" Joe asked his mother.

Laura shivered involuntarily. She'd never forget that year. Fenton had been working on a very dangerous case for the U.S. government. He'd gone undercover and had been out of touch for almost a week. On Christmas Eve, two agents showed up on her doorstep telling her they believed Fenton's cover had been blown and he'd been killed. He'd missed a pre-arranged meeting with his contact and hadn't been heard from in days.

Devastated as she was, Laura decided not to tell her two sons Fenton was dead, only that he wouldn't be home in time for Christmas. She did not want to ruin the magical day for them, knowing from that point on they would automatically associate Christmas Eve with the day they found out their father was dead. When she told them they would be celebrating Christmas without Fenton, they were visibly disappointed but took it well. And when Fenton showed up, bruised and exhausted at three o'clock Christmas morning, she was eternally grateful that she had decided to keep the news of his 'death' to herself.

"Yes, I remember that year," Laura said softly.

"After those two men came to talk to you on Christmas Eve, you were so sad. I knew it had something to do with Dad. So after you went to bed that night I got up and came downstairs. I told the angel I didn't care about anything on my list, I didn't want any presents. I just wanted Dad to come home for Christmas…and he did," Joe explained, his face and voice reflecting the seriousness of his words. Clearly, he still believed that angel had granted his wish that night and given his family a miracle.

"You…what?" Laura gasped softly.

Joe shrugged, feeling everyone staring at him. "I asked the angel to bring Dad home. That was my wish. And it came true."

A silence engulfed the small group. Each was considering what Joe had said and coming to their own conclusions as to whether Fenton's arrival on Christmas was simply a coincidence…or a Christmas miracle.

oooOOOooo

Joe pulled the van to a stop in front of the Benders' farmhouse. Turning off the engine, he sighed happily. He couldn't have hoped for a better day. Frank's living on campus was somewhat of a rude awakening for Joe, forcing him to admit he'd taken his brother for granted over the years. He missed the time they spent together, with each other and their parents, doing mundane everyday things. Being able to spend the day with his family and girlfriend, just enjoying the feeling of being together, was the best Christmas present he could hope for.

"Penny for your thoughts," Vanessa said softly, snuggling a little closer to him.

"Just thinking what a nice time I had today," Joe smiled, pulling her close.

"Yeah, it was fun spending time with Frank and Callie again. I didn't realize how much I missed them." She looked at Joe for a moment, chewing on her lip thoughtfully. "That story you told us about the angel…is that really true?" She cocked her head to one side in a way Joe thought was absolutely adorable. The look on her face was skepticism mixed with hope. She wanted to believe…he could see it in her eyes.

"Yes, it's true. And that's not the only wish that angel granted me," Joe replied seriously.

"Oh?"

"One year Frank got really sick about a week before Christmas. Started out as a bad cold but he couldn't shake it. It just kept getting worse and worse. I heard Mom talking to the doctor on the phone. He wanted to admit Frank to the hospital the next day if he hadn't started to show some sign of improvement. That would've been Christmas Eve." Joe smiled, a faraway look on his face. "I remember making a beeline for the Christmas tree and looking up at that angel, wishing as hard as I could that Frank would get better so he wouldn't have to spend Christmas in the hospital."

"Did he?" Vanessa asked softly.

Joe's smile grew and he nodded slowly. "His fever broke that night. Mom, Dad, the doctor…they couldn't believe how much he'd improved by the next day."

"But you weren't surprised," Vanessa guessed.

"Nope," he replied confidently. "I knew he'd be fine. I didn't wish for a lot from that angel, but somehow I always knew, when it was really important, whatever I wished for would come true."

"When was the last time you wished on that angel?" Vanessa asked, wondering if these incidents were all distant childhood memories.

Joe looked out the window, an air of sadness descending around them. "Last year," he replied quietly. "It was the first Christmas after Iola died; the worst Christmas of my life. I hated myself, I hated the terrorists who killed her… I hated the whole world." He felt Vanessa gently take his hand, twining her fingers through his. "I felt lost. And alone. And I just wanted it to be over. I didn't care how…" Joe turned and stared into Vanessa's blue-gray eyes. "I couldn't take it anymore. So on Christmas Eve I asked that angel to end it for me one way or another. The loneliness and guilt and misery." Joe stopped and smiled then. He reached out and stroked Vanessa's cheek. "And a week later I met you. I know that angel sent you to me. You were my miracle."

The moonlight reflecting off the snow provided just enough light for Joe to see the tears trickling down Vanessa's cheeks. Gently brushing them away, Joe leaned down and kissed her. Immediately, Vanessa wrapped her arms around him and returned the kiss with an intensity Joe had never felt before. As he lost himself in Vanessa's arms, he thanked the angel one more time for bringing her into his life.


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you so much to all who reviewed! :-)

**Angel Wishes**

**Chapter 4**

When Laura awoke the next morning she was pleasantly surprised to find the anxiety that had plagued her the previous day had mellowed considerably. Whether it was the time spent with Frank, Joe and their girlfriends, or a good night's sleep she wasn't sure, but no matter the reason, she was just happy her obsession was now a more manageable mild concern.

After a leisurely breakfast with her husband and sons, Laura left the house and headed for the Bayport police station. Every year police chief Ezra Collig's wife, Bea, organized a food, clothes and toy drive for the less fortunate families of Bayport. This year the citizens of their community had been more than generous, prompting a frantic call from Bea begging Laura to help sort the mountain of donations into something that resembled organized chaos.

Soon after arriving at the station, Laura became caught up in the task of assisting Bea. The hours flew by and slowly but surely the disorganized mass of food, clothes and toys turned into row upon row of neatly arranged boxes of presents and baskets of food, sorted, tagged, addressed and ready to be delivered on Christmas Eve. After stopping off at the local coffee house for a well-deserved cappuccino with the other volunteers, Laura finally arrived home, exhausted but happy. She'd barely had time to think about the impending phone call from her doctor and decided helping those less fortunate had done a world of good towards taking her mind off her own problems.

Putting in a few of her favorite Christmas CD's, Laura went into the kitchen and began preparing dinner. The boys had gone skating with their friends but promised to be home in time for dinner. She could hear muffled sounds coming from Fenton's office and smiled, pleased that her whole family would be present and accounted for tonight. Humming along to the music, she had all but forgotten about the call she'd been hesitantly anticipating when the phone rang.

Startled, Laura spun around and stared at the phone as if seeing it for the first time. She was suddenly overcome with a premonition of bad news and found herself rooted in place, as if she were physically unable to move. She heard the swinging door to the kitchen open and knew her husband had come in, though she didn't actually see him, her eyes glued to the ringing phone in morbid fascination.

"Hello?" Fenton's deep voice rang in her ears as he answered the phone. "Yes, she's here. Hold on please."

He approached, holding the phone out. Putting an arm around her shoulders, he squeezed tightly. "It's Dr. Tanninger's office."

Laura swallowed hard and put down the oven mitt she'd been holding. Reaching out, she took the phone in one shaking hand and grasped her husband's arm tightly with the other one. "Hello? Yes, I'll hold."

She looked up at Fenton, unable to hide the fear in her eyes. "She's putting me through to – yes, hello Dr. Tanninger." She listened for a moment and responded, "I see. What exactly would that entail?" Laura listened, chewing on her lower lip and squeezing Fenton's arm even harder. "Tomorrow afternoon would be fine," she said, her voice quavering slightly. "Yes, my husband can come with me. Thank you, Dr. Tanninger, we'll see you then."

Laura pressed a button to end the call and walked, zombie-like to the counter, putting the cordless phone back in its holder. She stared numbly at the counter in front of her and spoke in a flat, monotone.

"The radiologist who read the mammogram wasn't 'comfortable' with the results. He felt the lump looked suspicious," she repeated what her doctor had just related to her. "Dr. Tanninger wants me to come in to the office tomorrow so he can do a biopsy." She finally turned around and faced her husband. "It could still be cancer," she whispered, dissolving into tears when he took her in his arms and held her to his chest.

oooOOOooo

"Moooom!! We're home!"

Several seconds after the booming announcement Joe came barreling into the kitchen, his cheeks rosy from an afternoon out in the cold winter air. "What's for dinner? I'm starved!"

"As if that's news," Frank teased, following his brother at a more leisurely pace.

Fenton saw Frank's expression change the instant he looked at his mother. Immediately Frank's gaze shifted to him, dark brown eyes narrowed in concern. "What's going on?"

"Huh?" Joe turned away from the refrigerator, alerted by the tone in Frank's voice.

Fenton motioned for his sons to follow them as he and Laura, turned and walked out to the living room. Laura still had doubts about telling Frank and Joe what was going on without having a definitive diagnosis; however, Fenton pointed out their very perceptive sons would quickly pick up that something was wrong. In the end, it didn't take long for him to convince her they needed to know.

As the foursome silently, took seats – Laura and Fenton on the couch, Frank in the armchair and Joe on the floor – Fenton was secretly relieved. As any parent would, he wanted to shield his children from any kind of pain, physical or emotional. But he knew if the unthinkable happened and Laura's biopsy turned out to be malignant, she would need all the support they could give her – and more.

'_Heck, I could use some support, too!'_ Fenton thought, running a hand through his thick, dark hair. He'd never faced a situation where his family was being threatened and he could do nothing to stop it. He decided it was a feeling he did not like at all. Hearing Laura's voice, Fenton tried to pull his distracted thoughts back to the present with limited success.

"So Dr. Tanninger wants me to come in to the office tomorrow afternoon for a biopsy."

"Mom," Joe's voice was soft and shaking. "Does this mean you…you have…"

"No, honey, not at all," Laura replied soothingly. Reaching out she took his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "It's just a precaution, that's all."

Fenton listened to his wife, amazed at how calm she sounded. Glancing at her face, he saw she had slipped into protective mother mode. Frank and Joe always came first with her – _always_ – and even this possibly devastating news didn't change that. Right now, she was more worried about how the news would affect her sons than how the reality of possible breast cancer would affect her.

As Laura spoke, repeating what Tanninger had told her, Fenton watched them both carefully. While Frank, Joe and he himself had been physically hurt in the past – sometimes seriously – they never had to face this kind of news about Laura. She was the one constant in all of their lives – always there to laugh with them, cry with them, play with them, nurse them back to health when they were sick or injured, provide an ear to listen, a shoulder to cry on, a word of advice….to love them unconditionally…

He looked at Frank and wasn't surprised to find he couldn't read his older son's expression. Stable, logical, levelheaded, Frank appeared as calm and composed as he always did. Not one to easily share his feelings or emotions, Frank quickly learned how to present a mask of neutrality when he didn't want anyone to know how he was feeling. And this, apparently, was one of those times.

Looking at Joe, he could already see the effect Laura's words were having on him. Fiery and emotional, Joe wore his heart on his sleeve for all the world to see. Right now, his blue eyes stood out starkly against his now pale skin. Despite Laura's assurances that she had not yet gotten a diagnosis of breast cancer, Joe's chin started to quiver and he squeezed his eyes shut, clearly fighting back tears.

Wordlessly, Laura moved to his side. Crouching on the floor, she put her arms around him and held him tightly. Rocking back and forth, Joe clung to his mother as she stroked his hair and Fenton had to turn away, knowing that one heart wrenching moment was permanently seared into his memory.

oooOOOooo

Joe sighed and tossed the magazine he'd been reading on the floor. Pushing himself up off the bed, he walked to the window of his room and stared out. The moon was shining off the snow that had fallen. With the bright Christmas lights twinkling on the houses and trees and the decorations in the yards up and down the street, it was a scene from a picture perfect, winter postcard. Joe turned away, hating the world for looking so beautiful.

Ever since Laura had told them the news a few hours earlier, Joe felt as if he'd been in a daze. Frank had asked a multitude of questions, none of which Joe could remember, and Laura had answered them the best she could. They had then gone through the motions of having dinner, yet when Joe helped his mother clear the table, it was plain to see everyone had lost their appetite.

Soon afterwards, Laura had left to attend the annual neighborhood cookie swap organized by the Hardys' next-door neighbor, Margaret Gibbons. She had again reassured the boys that more than likely, there was nothing wrong and therefore no cause to worry. But Joe couldn't stop thinking about Laura's news, almost to the point of obsession.

No matter how he tried to distract himself, Laura's words kept ricocheting around in his head, refusing to give him a moment of peace. In those initial moments when Joe was in shock and on the verge of tears, she had told him – repeatedly – that right now the lump was simply a lump and nothing more. She had not been diagnosed with breast cancer and there was a very good chance she wouldn't be. Still, Joe didn't miss the anxiety in her voice or the outright fear in his father's eyes. Now feeling utterly lost, he wandered into Frank's room hoping his brother might be able to put his mind at ease, even if only for a little while.

"What are you doing?" Joe asked numbly.

"Research," came Frank's clipped reply.

"Huh?" Joe moved closer to the desk, trying to focus on the monitor.

"I'm doing research on breast cancer. The various types, the different options for treatment…" Frank's voice faded as he became engrossed in something he'd found.

'_Breast cancer…'_ Joe hated the words and he hated his brother for saying them out loud. How dare Frank start learning everything he possibly could about the disease! What if their mother didn't even have cancer? What if it was just a cyst or something else totally benign? She had said as much when she broke the news to them – right now it was just a lump! What if Frank was jinxing the outcome of Laura's biopsy by what he was doing! Joe knew that was totally irrational but he felt as if his whole world had just been sent spinning out of control. How dare Frank not believe with all his heart that the biopsy would show it was not cancer!

"This is good," Frank spoke again, an excitement in his voice. "Eight out of ten lumps are not cancerous," Frank read from the screen. "And even when they are, if it's found early enough, the five year survival rate is ninety-six percent."

"Survival rate?!" Joe stared at his brother, feeling the anger well up inside him. _'How __dare__ he talk about survival rates!! But what if she __is__ in that other four percent? That would mean…' _That one thought forced itself into Joe's heart, took hold and refused to let go. He felt his body start to tremble, his temper begin to flare and he could do nothing to stop it.

"Yeah, those are good odds," Frank responded, oblivious to the look of fury on his brother's face. "But the most important factor to consider is whether or not the cancer is invasive or non-invasive," he continued. "Non-invasive is better because the cancer hasn't spread to surrounding tissues."

Joe began to hear a soft buzzing in his ears as Frank's voice faded in and out. His heart began to beat wildly and he felt every muscle in his body tense. _'Shut up! Just shut up!'_

Joe wasn't sure if he'd said the words out loud or not. He felt as if he was losing touch with himself, with reality and then he realized what was happening. His anger had reached its limit and crossed the line into the darkest part of his soul. He was about to lose control…

Joe heard a few more words as Frank continued to read from the monitor.

"Regional treatment…"

'_Shut up!'_

"Lumpectomy…"

'_Stop it!' _

"Radiation therapy…"

'_NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!'_

Joe was on Frank before he even realized what he was doing. "SHUT UP!!! JUST SHUT UP!!!" he screamed. Grabbing the back of Frank's sweater, Joe pulled him out of the chair and practically threw him across the room. Frank hit the wall hard, causing the room to shake. Several books fell off the shelves with a dull thud.

Picking up the papers Frank had printed out Joe lunged at his brother, shaking the documents at him. "SHE IS NOT A STATISTIC!!! SHE'S OUR MOTHER!!" Joe yelled, throwing the papers in the air. "Our mother! _MY_ mother…" his voice broke.

Joe never saw the expression of utter shock on Frank's face as he ran from the room. His vision blurred with tears, he stumbled down the steps and through the kitchen to the back door. Flinging it open, he ran out into the cold winter night, slipping on the snowy ground until he stumbled and fell. On his knees, Joe wrapped his arms around himself and sobbed.


	5. Chapter 5

You guys are so AWESOME!!! I love that pretty much all of you picked up on how Frank and Joe were handling the news about Laura. Neither is 'right' and neither is 'wrong' – they are just handling it in the way that is most comforting for them given their different personalities. I've got this huge smile on my face now – THANK YOU!! :D

Iola – Yes, that 'man of the house' thing was from one of my stories, but I couldn't tell you which one! LOL! :p

**Angel Wishes**

**Chapter 5**

Fenton sat in his office going through the motions of working, but in actuality thinking about his wife. After dinner, Laura had left for a holiday gathering at their neighbors' house while both Frank and Joe had retreated to their rooms. Fenton had been wondering, and worrying about Laura's biopsy the following afternoon when he suddenly heard shouting. Seconds later he heard a loud thud and swore he could feel the house shake.

'_What the…'_ Fenton rushed to the door of his office and pulled it open just in time to see a visibly upset Joe run past. He watched as Joe disappeared into the kitchen and seconds later heard the back door open and slam shut. He hesitated a moment, glancing up the stairs before following in Joe's footsteps.

Emerging into the backyard, Fenton squinted, unable to see much in the dark. Reaching back into the house, he flipped the switch to turn on the porch light, before closing the door. The chill of the winter night was nothing compared to the chill in his heart – Joe was in the middle of the yard, on his knees, sobbing.

Rushing across the deck and down the steps, Fenton dropped to his knees in the snow next to Joe and put his arms around his son. He didn't speak, but held Joe close until the heartbreaking sobs turned to muffled sniffles. Now shivering with his pant legs wet and on their way to freezing, Fenton's first thought was to get himself and Joe back inside the house.

"Come on, let's go inside," Fenton tried to coax his distraught son. "It's freezing out here."

"No!" Joe protested, making a half-hearted attempt to pull away from his father.

"Joe, please. Come back in the house."

"Not while _he's_ still in there!"

"Frank?" Fenton asked, chilled at the venom in Joe's voice.

"He's already given up! He thinks that biopsy will show Mom has cancer! He won't even consider that she might be fine!" Joe cried out, oblivious to his father's gentle persuasion to get him up and back in the house. He turned and looked at his father, eyes wide with disbelief. "How _could_ he?"

"He hasn't given up," Fenton said soothingly.

"Then why is he already researching treatments and options and…_survival rates_!" Joe choked out the last words.

Fenton sighed and hugged Joe close to him. He could easily see that his sons were simply trying to deal with the devastating news in a way that was easiest for them. For Joe, the eternal optimist, that was to think positively and not even consider the possibility that his mother could have cancer. He didn't want anyone else to consider it either.

For Frank, it meant learning every last detail about the disease. Fenton knew Frank was hoping and praying just as hard as Joe was that Laura's biopsy would come back negative. But in the horrible event that it didn't, Frank wanted to be ready to offer her as much support as humanly possible. To him, that meant knowing everything possible about what his mother would be facing.

"He's just as upset as you are," Fenton said, his voice quiet but firm. "But for as close as the two of you are, you are also very different, so you'll deal with this kind of news in drastically different ways.

"Frank is simply reacting the way he would in any situation where someone he loved was in potential danger. Find out everything he can about the 'enemy' and use that information to try and defeat it." He sat back, still keeping one arm loosely around Joe's shoulders, watching his son's face. He could see Joe considering what he'd said and almost saw the anger dissipating, still amazed at how rapidly Joe's moods could change.

Joe swiped at his eyes. "I guess that makes sense," he mumbled.

From the tone of his voice, Fenton guessed Joe was feeling a little embarrassed and guilty about his outburst and particularly the accusations he'd hurled at Frank. While Joe was quick to anger and often said things in the heat of the moment, he was just as quick to admit his mistakes and apologize.

"Come on," Fenton tried again, this time successfully pulling Joe to his feet. "Let's go inside. I think you need to have another talk with your brother."

Nodding numbly, Joe allowed Fenton to guide him back into the house.

oooOOOooo

Stunned, Frank stood with his back against the wall for almost a full minute, trying to figure out what had just happened. Pushing himself away from the wall, Frank felt a twinge in his back and winced.

Dropping to his hands and knees, Frank crawled around the room gathering the papers Joe had flung at him. Collecting them all, he sat on the floor and leaned against the bed, carefully arranging them in order. As he stared at the harsh words – mastectomy, radiation, chemotherapy – his eyes began to burn.

Putting the papers on the floor next to him, Frank rubbed his eyes roughly. _'Why? Why Mom?'_

Leaning his head back, he closed his eyes, recalling one of the earliest memories he had of his mother…

_Three-year-old Frank ran into Joe's room, his favorite storybook clutched tightly in his hands. Laura had promised him at breakfast that morning that she would read it to him. His little brother had been cranky the last few days, having come down with an ear infection, and demanded more of Laura's attention than usual. His mother had explained to Frank the infection made Joe very uncomfortable. While Frank understood his little brother wasn't feeling well, he still felt sad that Laura didn't seem to have as much time for him. _

_He'd heard her come into Joe's room a few moments earlier and, remembering her promise, dug out his book, hoping she would have a little time for him now. However, when he stepped across the threshold, Frank stopped short as he saw his mother, humming softly, smiling down at the squirming baby in her arms, trying to rock Joe to sleep._

_With his father's admonishments of 'Shhh, Joey doesn't feel well ' running through his head, Frank dejectedly turned to leave, his lower lip quivering._

"_Frank, come here sweetie."_

_Spinning around, Frank saw his mother smiling and motioning him towards her. He hesitated, noting that Joey's eyes were half-closed. "It's okay, honey. Come on," Laura encouraged._

_Dubious, Frank took a few steps, stopped for a moment, uncertain and then tentatively walked towards the rocker. Putting his book down on the floor, Frank watched his mother talking softly to Joe. For a moment Joe's eyes closed completely and Frank smiled. _

'_Yay! He's asleep!' Now he would have his mother all to himself!_

_Suddenly Joe's eyes opened and Frank's heart sank. Frowning, Frank watched his little brother, who turned and looked directly at him. Upon seeing Frank, Joe's huge blue eyes lit up and he squealed with delight, squirming and reaching out for Frank. As Joe twisted and turned, trying to escape his mother's arms, Frank felt something tingle inside him. He felt all warm and wondered if he had caught Joe's ear infection. But he decided he felt too good to be sick. As Joe beamed at him, he decided he liked the feeling – whatever it was! While Laura calmed Joe down again, he never took his eyes off Frank._

_As Joe smiled at him, Frank tentatively reached out towards his brother. Glancing at Laura, he saw her nod and smile encouragingly. Very gently, Frank stroked Joe's hair the way he'd seen his parents do. _

"_Shh, Joey. Go to sleep," he whispered. Joe extended his arm and grabbed Frank's hand. Wrapping his little fingers around it, he held on tight. Frank watched his baby brother sigh contentedly, as his heavy eyelids drifted shut. Minutes later, Joe fell asleep with a smile on his face and a tight grip on his big brother's hand._

_Carefully, Laura got up and placed Joe in his crib. Turning to Frank, she put a finger to her lips. Taking his hand, she led Frank out of Joe's room and down the hall. Smiling, Frank saw they were headed to his parents' room. More than anything else, he loved to snuggle deep into his mommy and daddy's bed while one – or both of them – read him a story._

_Charging ahead, Frank ran through the door and jumped onto the big bed, jumping up and down a few times for good measure. Scrambling up to the head of the bed, he settled back against the soft, cushiony pillows and patted the spot beside him. "Come on, Mommy! Hurry up!"_

_Frank laughed with glee when Laura, following his lead, also jumped onto the bed, causing him to bounce around a little bit. Leaning back against the pillows, Laura put her arm around Frank's shoulders and drew him close. Snuggling up against her, Frank sighed happily as his mother's soft, lilting voice made his favorite story come to life…._

Frank recalled how, once Joe had finally gone to sleep, Laura's entire world revolved entirely around him until Joe woke up again. Thinking back, Frank realized that was his first memory of his weekly 'date' with his mother. From the time he and Joe were very small, they did almost everything together, not because they were forced to but because they wanted to. However, Laura made sure that once a week she spent an entire morning or afternoon with each of her sons – alone. The other one either went to a friend's house to play or spent time with Aunt Gertrude or their father.

Frank had grown to love those 'dates' with his mother and eagerly looked forward to them, as he knew Joe did. Sadly, Frank realized that those dates had stopped years ago.

'_Why?' _he thought, angry with himself. _'When did I become too busy for my own mother?'_

Shaking his head in disgust, Frank started to push himself up when a movement caught his eye. Joe stood in the doorway, hesitant.

"Frank?"

Frank glared at his brother for a second, hurt, before turning away. "What do you want?" His tone was clipped and very angry. Ignoring Joe as best he could, Frank stalked across the room to his desk, neatly stacking the papers beside the computer.

"I-I'm sorry."

Frank was silent, doing a slow burn at Joe's outburst_. 'Just because I'm not emotionally explosive doesn't mean I'm not scared, too! So what If I deal with my feelings differently than he does? It does NOT give him the right to accuse me of not caring!' _ Fear for his mother fueled the slow burn, which suddenly ignited into a flaming rage. Frank whirled on Joe, furious.

"You should be! How _dare_ you say I don't care about Mom! Do you think you're the only one who's scared?!" he yelled.

"No," Joe whispered.

"You think that just because I deal with it differently than you do, that it doesn't bother me? That Mom is just some statistic to me?!"

"No," Joe repeated, ashamed.

"I never thought you could be so self-absorbed!" Frank ranted, so grateful to finally have an outlet for his anger and fear he barely looked at Joe. "She's _my_ mother, too! So what if I'd rather know what she might be facing instead of burying my head in the sand and pretending nothing's wrong-"

"I'M SORRY!!" Joe screamed. "I'M SORRY! I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" he repeated, the terror beginning to crush him.

Frank stared in disbelief as his brother fell apart.

"I'm scared, Frank…. I'm so scared…" Joe choked out.

All of a sudden, Frank was overwhelmed with a vision from the past. The day he'd helped Laura put Joe down for his nap. The way Joe looked at him – awe, admiration, hero worship. Frank didn't even realize he'd moved but suddenly he was there next to Joe, hugging him, rubbing his back. "I know," Frank said soothingly. "I'm scared, too."

"I really am sorry," Joe apologized again, his voice hushed and quiet. "I didn't mean it – any of it."

"I know that, too," Frank assured him. Sighing heavily, he released Joe and gently pushed him towards the bed. Joe sat down and looked up at him, more scared than Frank could ever remember.

"What if it really is cancer? Losing Iola was bad enough. I can't – I can't lose Mom, too… I just… I can't." Joe stared at him with that look Frank both hated and loved. The one that said _'You can fix anything! Please, fix this!'_

Frank sat down on the bed, facing Joe. He knew he couldn't fix this, but maybe he could make the wait a little more bearable. "You know, one of the statistics I found said eighty percent of all breast biopsies turn out _not_ to be cancer."

"Eighty percent?" Joe repeated.

"Mm-hmm. They're just fluid filled cysts or benign lumps. Nothing to worry about."

"So there's a good chance…" Joe's voice trailed off, but his eyes were now hopeful.

"…that Mom is just fine," Frank finished for him with a smile.

Joe sat quietly for a few moments, apparently thinking about that one statistic. "Frank?"

"Hmm?"

"Uh, you're not gonna tell Mom that I threw you against the wall… are you?" Joe asked uncertainly.

Frank regarded his brother thoughtfully for a moment before responding. "I don't know," he said raising an eyebrow. "What's it worth to ya for me to keep my mouth shut?"

…

Outside the bedroom door, Fenton Hardy chuckled softly. He knew it might only be a short respite, but for the first time in two days, he relaxed. Walking towards his office, he felt a little more hopeful that everything would turn out all right and his family just might have a Merry Christmas.


	6. Chapter 6

Hugs and thanks to everyone who reviewed!

This story is only seven chapters total, so we're almost done. ;-)

**Angel Wishes**

**Chapter 6**

Fenton sat in Dr. Tanninger's office, listening to him describe exactly what would happen during the biopsy. He had decided to go in with the mindset that he was simply collecting information, just like he did at the beginning of each new case he accepted. Somehow it was easier to absorb all the details if he pretended this was not happening to his wife.

"We'll be doing what's called a core needle biopsy. We remove part of a lump or suspicious tissue using a wide needle," Tanninger explained. "A small incision, approximately one quarter inch in size is made in the skin and the needle is inserted into the lump itself to obtain tissue samples. We usually take between four and six samples. It's done under a local anesthesia, there is minimal scarring and it requires no stitches; only a band-aid."

"How long will the procedure take?" Fenton asked.

"Anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour."

"And this will tell you, definitively, if it's cancer?" Laura asked.

"Yes, once we get the results back from the lab. That generally takes several days but I'll ask them to expedite your results." Tanninger stopped and sighed, resignedly. "There's never a _good_ time for this to happen, but this time of year…well, that's just particularly bad timing. I'd like to put your minds at ease before the holiday if at all possible."

"We appreciate that," Fenton replied, squeezing his wife's hand. He wasn't sure he could make it through Christmas without knowing for sure, one way or another.

The doctor leaned forward slightly, smiling again. "I understand that waiting for the results can be unnerving, but it's important to remember that eighty percent of all breast biopsies are _not_ cancerous."

Fenton smiled to himself. While eavesdropping on his sons' conversation the previous evening, he had heard Frank cite the exact same statistic.

"Are there any other questions I can answer for you?" Dr. Tanninger asked them.

Fenton shook his head no, feeling more at ease having met Tanninger. He liked that the man was straightforward with them, answered all their questions honestly and in plain English, and most importantly did not rush them.

"Okay then." He stood and walked to the door, pulling it open. He looked down the hall and motioned with his arm, then turned back to Fenton and Laura. "Mrs. Hardy, if you'll follow Christine, she'll get you all set up. Mr. Hardy, if you'd like to go back out to the waiting area, we'll let you know as soon as we're finished."

Fenton turned to his wife, noting that both the doctor and his assistant were discreetly waiting in the hall just outside the door, giving him and Laura a little bit of privacy. Looking into Laura's blue eyes, he was suddenly lost for words. Putting his arms around her, Fenton pulled Laura close to him. Resting his cheek on top of her head, he simply held her for a moment, gently stroking her hair.

"I love you, Laura," he whispered. Stepping back, he smiled. "Everything is going to be just fine." He kissed her lightly, walked her out the door and watched until she disappeared into a room at the far end of the hall. Now feeling completely alone, Fenton made his way back to the waiting room, sat down and prayed.

oooOOOooo

Fenton checked his watch again and rolled his eyes. Ten minutes. It was only ten minutes later than the last time he looked. God, how he hated waiting! And this time it was worse than any stakeout or surveillance could ever be. Normally at the end of a boring detail spent watching and following a suspect, he had something to show for it. But when this wait was over, the only thing he really had to look forward to was more waiting.

'_Distraction – I need a distraction,'_ he thought, standing up. Pacing restlessly, he tried to fill his mind with trivial, meaningless information about his latest case, his favorite sports teams, the weather forecast for the upcoming holiday…anything to stop obsessing on whether he and Laura would grow old together or whether he'd face the rest of his life alone.

"Okay, Mrs. Jenson, we'll see you next week if the baby hasn't made an appearance before then."

Fenton turned at the sound of the receptionist's voice. A woman in her mid-twenties, who was obviously about to deliver any day, waved as she left the office. Fenton smiled, an image of his young, very pregnant wife flitting through his mind. They had both eagerly looked forward to starting a family and were thrilled when Laura became pregnant with Frank. When he was born, Fenton had marveled at what an amazing mother Laura was. From day one, she seemed to know, instinctively, what to do in any situation and did it with ease, as if she were born to the role of mother.

He recalled the first time he'd held Frank – he'd been terrified! While Fenton Hardy had no problem chasing down thieves, drug dealers and murderers on the streets of New York City, holding the helpless tiny baby, who was completely dependent on him for everything, had ignited a fear in him like nothing he'd ever experienced before. But then he looked up and saw Laura smiling at him – him and their son – and he knew everything would be fine.

While Fenton recalled his initial parenting skills, which could best be described as laughable, his wife's had seemed near perfect. Laura had been patient, loving and supportive, helping him learn the ins and outs of being a new daddy and giving him the time he needed to adjust to this new role of father. With seeming ease, she taught him and encouraged him in caring for their infant son, while still really learning herself.

By the time Joe came along nineteen months later, Fenton was much more confident in his ability to help Laura raise their two sons into young men they would both be proud of.

'_And we did…'_

Standing at the window, he stared out as years of memories bubbled up from deep in his heart. Being a cop's wife with two young children hadn't been easy but Laura made it look that way. And when Fenton approached her to discuss going out on his own as a private investigator, she had been his biggest supporter. They had packed up and moved to Bayport, where Fenton had grown up. But for Laura it was a new town where she didn't know a soul. She was often left alone on a moment's notice with two small boys, so Fenton could build his business and she had taken it all in stride. Her encouragement was constant and unwavering, and when Frank and Joe began to show an interest in his work, Laura offered them the same support and encouragement, despite the anxiety Fenton often saw in her eyes. Worrying and wondering if her husband would come home alive each time he left the house was one thing; but to have that same fear for her children…

Even as he acknowledged the danger, Fenton had been secretly thrilled that his sons wanted to follow in his footsteps. In fact his secret dream was that Frank and Joe would one day join the agency, allowing him to pass the 'family business' on to them when he retired. Smiling, he thought of the dreams he had for retirement. Fenton had traveled all over the world in the course of his work, but he never really had a chance to enjoy it. The first order of business upon retirement would be to revisit many of the exciting and exotic places he'd already seen – with Laura by his side. Nothing sounded more appealing to him than exploring the world with the woman he loved. The only danger he wanted to face in retirement was the possibility of a pulled muscle after a day spent entertaining his grandchildren.

Returning to the chair in the corner of the waiting room, Fenton sat down, crossing one leg over the other. Idly bouncing his foot up and down, he let his thoughts wander back over the years, letting fond memories of Laura and the boys grab his attention.

Chuckling softly, Fenton recalled the day he'd been catching up on paperwork and heard strange whirring and buzzing sounds coming from somewhere outside his office door. His curiosity piqued, he went to investigate, only to find Laura, clad in a child's small plastic hard hat and goggles and wearing a matching toy tool belt crawling around the living room floor on her hands and knees. The buzzing sound was coming from the toy buzz saw she was using on the carpet, while the accompanying whirring sound was from the plastic chain saw five-year-old Joe was using to help his mother build an imaginary structure seen only in the small boy's very vivid imagination.

Joe had gotten the 'true to life sounds' tool set for his birthday a week earlier and had immediately taken a liking to all the annoying noises they made. Oblivious to Fenton's presence, Laura and Joe had spent the better part of the afternoon building what had turned out to be an invisible hideout for the Hardy family to escape into should any criminals slip past the alarm system on the house. For the next several days, both Joe and Laura had to repeatedly remind Fenton to walk around the hideout every time he entered the living room.

While Joe often recruited his mother as an accomplice and playmate, Frank preferred quieter pursuits when he had Laura's undivided attention. Frank had discovered books at an early age and loved nothing better than to snuggle close to his mother while she made his favorite stories come alive. Fenton often found them curled up together in Frank's room or on his and Laura's bed, a stack of children's books beside them. Even after Frank learned how to read, he still preferred having Laura read to him, watching, mesmerized, as she acted out the parts of every character in the book.

Laura's entire world revolved around the boys when they were young, yet even as they grew, when most children wanted to distance themselves from their parents, Laura was still an integral part of their lives. Fenton chuckled softly, remembering the numerous times he'd overheard Frank and Joe's friends telling them how lucky they were to have such a 'cool' mother. Throughout the boys' high school years, the Hardy home somehow became the unofficial gathering place for their close circle of friends, with Laura becoming a second mother to most of them.

Fenton shook his head sadly, realizing how much he'd taken his wife for granted over the years. Closing his eyes, he leaned his head back against the wall.

'_Please, God, give the chance to prove I'll never take her for granted again.…'_

oooOOOooo

Laura fixed her gaze on a spot on the ceiling, preferring to ignore the minute details of the procedure. She had already decided to focus on happy memories of her family to get her through the next sixty minutes. Laura smiled inwardly, recalling the day she found out she was pregnant with Frank. While she enjoyed her job as an administrative assistant at the county courthouse, the job she wanted more than anything in the world was that of full-time mother.

It had been a struggle on a cop's salary, especially early on, but Fenton knew how much it meant to Laura to be home with their children. He had taken on a lot of private security work in his off-duty hours, and with Laura scrimping, saving and budgeting every single penny, they had somehow made it work. Then, a few years after Joe was born, Fenton retired from the police force to open his own private investigation firm. Money was tight once again, but they never wanted for anything and their house was always filled with the most important thing in the world – love.

In the beginning, Laura often had to be mother and father to their two sons, as Fenton worked tirelessly to make his business a success. While it was hard sometimes, Laura found she cherished all the extra time she spent with Frank and Joe, making sure their father's absences were a little less lonely for them. It was during that period when she began the weekly 'dates' with her sons. Every week, each of the boys got one morning or afternoon to have his mother all to himself, without his brother – or anyone else – clamoring for her attention. Laura ignored everything around her and made her son the center of her world during the course of their 'date'.

She had intended it to be temporary, until Fenton got his business established and he'd be able to spend a little more time with Frank and Joe. But the boys loved the idea of weekly dates with their mother so much that they continued well into their teenage years. Eventually, however, the dates dwindled from weekly to monthly to non-existent as her sons' busy high school activities and social lives, and their amateur sleuthing, gradually took control of all their free time.

Laura knew eventually that would happen and imagined she'd feel rather lonely and forgotten. Yet rather than the emptiness she thought would be there when the inevitable finally did occur, she felt grateful for the close relationship she had with both her sons. A relationship that she knew was built and nurtured by those weekly dates.

"Mrs. Hardy, we're done. You can get dressed now."

Laura heard the nurse's voice and allowed the woman to help her off the table. "Thank you," she smiled.

"I'll go let your husband know we're finished and take him to Dr. Tanninger's office. When you're ready, meet him in there."

Laura smiled and headed for the small bathroom to change back into her clothes. Thinking back over her life with her husband and sons, Laura realized if she could do it all over again, she wouldn't change a thing. Despite the position she found herself in now, Laura felt blessed by the life she'd been given and only hoped she had another forty-plus years to look forward to.


	7. Chapter 7

Glad so many of you liked the invisible fort scene. That actually happened many, many Christmases ago between me and my nephew when I gave him a set of Fisher Price true to life sounds power tools. I put on a toy tool belt, toy goggles and a toy hard hat and he and I used his brand new tools to build a fort. My brother videotaped me crawling around on the floor building the fort with my nephew. So Laura got to be me for a little while! LOL! :p

Thanks so much for ALL your wonderful comments on this story! :-) Here you go – the conclusion. Hope you enjoy it!

And I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa or a joyous whatever holiday you celebrate! And if all else fails – HAVE A NICE DAY!! :D

**Angel Wishes**

**Chapter 7**

Frank's eyes popped open at exactly six-thirty despite it being Christmas Eve. Having grown accustomed to getting up every day for his classes, Frank found he awoke at the same time even on his days 'off'. Normally, he simply rolled over and went back to sleep but he knew that would be impossible this morning, as it had been for the past several days.

Staring at the ceiling, Frank exhaled loudly. Three days. It had been three days – three very long days – since Laura's biopsy and they hadn't heard a word. Despite the doctor's promise to try to get the test results back as soon as possible, Frank feared his family would be celebrating Christmas with the unknown hanging over their heads. It had been hard pretending everything was normal, but Frank forced the smiles knowing it was important to his mother for him and Joe to have a happy holiday.

Putting his hands behind his head, Frank smiled, remembering so many past Christmases that Laura had made special for him and Joe. He couldn't remember a year when he didn't get just about everything he'd wanted; and a few times when he got things he wanted but had never asked for, feeling they were too expensive or extravagant. But there was always one thing that Laura Hardy made sure her sons had in abundance at Christmas and every other day of the year – love.

Frank lay in bed reminiscing for almost an hour, sometimes chuckling softly to himself and sometimes laughing out loud, before deciding he'd better get himself – and Joe – up and out the door. They had a very special mission to accomplish today; the same mission they had every Christmas Eve – buy a gift for their mother.

It had started accidentally several years earlier, when Joe had procrastinated so long in looking for a gift that the boys found themselves still in need of a present for their mother on Christmas Eve. Frank had dreaded the thought of going to the mall on Christmas Eve, yet despite the frenetic crowds that met them on the final shopping day before Christmas, Frank found he'd enjoyed it immensely as he and Joe went from store to store in search of the perfect gift for Laura. From then on it became the boys' own quirky tradition to wait until Christmas Eve to shop for their mother's present. Frank frowned, a hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach. Would it be a tradition that they continued for many years into the future or would it soon no longer be necessary?

Sitting up, Frank pushed back the covers and got out of bed, padding to the bathroom. Walking through it and out the connecting door on the other side, he emerged into Joe's room. He smiled and shook his head, surveying the lump completely buried under the down comforter. If not for the small tuft of blonde hair poking out from under one end of the comforter, Frank wouldn't know for sure which end of the lump was Joe's head and which was his feet.

Frank reached out and pressed up and down on the bed a few times so it bounced slightly. "Hey, Sleeping Beauty, time to start waking up."

A low growl erupted from somewhere under the comforter.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he responded. "Tell it to someone who cares." Frank started to turn away and then stopped, regarding the lump on the bed with an evil grin. "I'm going to jump in the shower," he said taking a step towards the bed, receiving a grunt in response. "I'll be ready to go in half an hour or so." Reaching down, he fingered the corner of the comforter. "So don't roll over and go back to sleep." With a self-satisfied chuckle, Frank took hold of the thick, warm covering and yanked with all his might.

"HEY!" Joe shot up in bed, wild-eyed and futilely grabbing at the comforter as Frank dropped it on the floor, just out of his brother's reach.

"Good," Frank smirked, walking into the bathroom. "At least I know you're awake." As he shut the door, his laughter echoed through the room.

oooOOOooo

Frank stood at the bottom of the stairs tapping his foot impatiently. Sighing, he checked his watch and rolled his eyes.

"Come on, Joe!" he yelled up the stairs. "I don't want to spend _all_ day at the mall!"

A muffled, unintelligible reply came from somewhere on the second floor. "I'm gonna go warm up the car," Frank called out. "And I'm leaving in five minutes – with or without you!" Shaking his head and wondering why he still let Joe get to him, Frank turned and headed for the door. Glancing into the family room as he passed, the Christmas tree – and specifically the angel on top – caught his eye. Frank stopped and hesitated, looking around almost nervously. Swallowing hard, he stepped into the room and stared up at the angel.

He'd never believed his Aunt Gertrude's stories about the angel and the magical way it granted wishes. She had come up with that story the year Joe overheard Frank and Tony discussing the fact that there was no Santa Claus. Frank always thought she made it up on the spot to placate a devastated Joe who was torn between still believing in Santa Claus yet believing just as firmly that his older brother was infallible. Frank smiled, remembering how grateful he'd been for Gertrude's quick thinking, not wanting Joe to stop believing just because he had. But had it just been quick thinking on her part? Or did she really believe in that miracle angel, too?

'_Can't hurt…'_ Frank thought, taking another step closer to the tree. Looking up at the beautiful ornament gracing the top of the tree, he wished, hoped… he _prayed_… With a final glance at the angel, Frank put on his gloves and left the house.

…

A few moments later, Joe bounded down the stairs screeching to a stop at the bottom. Entering the family room, he stared up at the angel, mesmerized. How many wishes had the angel granted for him? The most recent of which had brought him Vanessa; that wasn't just a coincidence – Joe was sure of it.

'_I believe in you, even if no one else does. And there's only one thing I want for Christmas this year… to know my mother will be around for a long, long time. Please, let us get those test results today and let them show she does __not__ have cancer.'_

As Joe started to turn away, he saw a split second flash of light. He stopped in his tracks and stared at the angel. It had blinked on for barely a second… hadn't it? Joe gazed at the angel for another moment. If it was a short in the wiring it would happen again. When the light beneath the angel remained dark, Joe rubbed his eyes; he must've imagined it. Hearing a car horn honk, Joe zipped up his jacket and raced out the front door.

oooOOOooo

Joe wandered around the jewelry store, his eyes scanning the glittering pieces in the display cases. He and Frank had strolled around the mall when they first arrived, throwing out ideas about what they should get for Laura. After looking in various store windows and stopping for a cup of coffee, they decided on a piece of jewelry. The first two stores they looked in had been disappointing, but Joe thought this one showed promise.

Joe smiled as he stopped and stared at the sparkling piece of jewelry that had caught his eye. On a slim gold chain hung a pendant of three diamond chips, arranged vertically, each one just above the other and each one slightly bigger than the one above it.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" the saleswoman's voice asked.

Joe looked up and nodded in agreement.

"Would you like to see it?"

"Please," Joe responded, as Frank appeared at his elbow.

Gently removing the necklace from the showcase, the woman placed it on a black velvet display stand and held it at an angle for the boys to see. The bright lights caught on the diamonds and gold, causing them to sparkle.

"The chain is 24 karat gold. Each of the stones has a specific meaning. This one," she pointed to the smallest diamond at the top, "represents the past. The middle stone symbolizes the present and this one," she indicated the largest stone at the bottom, "stands for the future."

Joe looked up, straight into his brother's eyes. They stared at each other for a long moment and then Joe nodded his head once.

"We'll take it," Frank told the woman.

The boys paid for their purchase and slowly made their way through the crowded mall. Finally emerging into the parking lot, they walked to the car and got in, only to find themselves mired in traffic just to get to the exit. Frank found he needed to focus all his energies on navigating through the surface streets, which were clogged with last minute shoppers, only relaxing when he finally made it safely on to the interstate.

"So what are you and Vanessa planning to do for New Year's Eve?" Frank asked, assuming the fun loving couple had probably been invited to more parties than they could count. He and Callie, having spent so much time apart their first semester at college, had already decided to spend the evening alone, together.

Joe looked out the window, uncharacteristically quiet. He sighed softly before responding. "I was thinking we might spend New Year's Eve at home – with Mom and Dad. I know they weren't planning to go out anywhere."

Frank swallowed hard. "Sounds like a good idea. Maybe Callie and I will join you."

The remainder of the drive home was made in silence.

oooOOOooo

Arriving home, Frank and Joe stopped at the hall closet, hanging up their coats and putting gloves and scarves away. Joe turned to head upstairs, anxious to wrap Laura's present and put it under the tree when he stopped short. His heart caught in his throat as he spun around to look at Frank. Seeing the look in his brother's eyes, Joe knew Frank had heard it too. Soft, muffled sobs coming from the family room.

Joe hurried to the family room, stopping just inside the entranceway, afraid to take another step. Standing beside the Christmas tree, Fenton was holding Laura in his arms as she cried softly. He couldn't tell for sure because Fenton's face was buried in his wife's hair, but Joe thought his father was crying too.

'_NO!' _Joe thought panicked. They must have heard from Dr. Tanninger with the results of the biopsy. And from the scene before him, Joe knew what the results had to be…

"No," he said aloud, his voice nothing more than a whimper. Feeling a hand on his arm, Joe turned to his brother, terror in his eyes. "Frank, no…"

"Come on," Frank said softly, his arm on Joe's elbow, nudging his brother forward. "Dad?"

Fenton looked up, surprised, obviously not having heard the boys come in. He stared at them for a moment and uttered one word. "Negative."

"Negative?" Joe repeated, unsure if he'd heard correctly.

"Negative," his father repeated, smiling through tears.

Joe felt his knees go weak and knew he would have fallen had Frank still not had a hold of his arm. He took a stumbling step forward, then another. Two more steps brought him to his parents' side, where he threw his arms around his mother, crying. He felt his father slip an arm around his shoulders and then felt Frank behind him.

"Negative," Frank said over and over again, sounding almost dazed. "Negative…"

Joe turned to smile at his brother when the angel atop the Christmas tree caught his eye.

'_Thank you,'_ he thought, nodding at the miracle angel. The light on the angel blinked on for the briefest of seconds before going out. And Joe wasn't the least bit surprised…

THE END

Information gathered from the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation website and the breast cancer dot org website were used in writing this story.

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas, or a very happy holiday of their choice! :-)


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